Counties in Wisconsin by covered employment (QCEW)

Milwaukee County had the highest covered employment (QCEW) of 72 counties in 2016, at 484,344 jobs. Florence County had the lowest, at 998 jobs. The median was 14,915 jobs and the figure for Wisconsin was 2,828,166 jobs. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest484,344Milwaukee County
Median14,91572 counties
Wisconsin2,828,166History

Map of counties, 2016

Adams County: 4,531 jobsAshland County: 8,055 jobsBarron County: 21,473 jobsBayfield County: 4,039 jobsBrown County: 153,891 jobsBuffalo County: 3,783 jobsBurnett County: 4,614 jobsCalumet County: 13,933 jobsChippewa County: 24,321 jobsClark County: 10,894 jobsColumbia County: 21,914 jobsCrawford County: 7,456 jobsDane County: 329,751 jobsDodge County: 35,002 jobsDoor County: 13,611 jobsDouglas County: 15,414 jobsDunn County: 17,281 jobsEau Claire County: 57,198 jobsFlorence County: 998 jobsFond du Lac County: 46,147 jobsForest County: 3,127 jobsGrant County: 17,715 jobsGreen County: 15,901 jobsGreen Lake County: 6,120 jobsIowa County: 10,084 jobsIron County: 1,672 jobsJackson County: 8,625 jobsJefferson County: 32,402 jobsJuneau County: 9,271 jobsKenosha County: 63,724 jobsKewaunee County: 7,079 jobsLa Crosse County: 69,030 jobsLafayette County: 4,073 jobsLanglade County: 7,418 jobsLincoln County: 10,820 jobsManitowoc County: 33,439 jobsMarathon County: 70,342 jobsMarinette County: 18,468 jobsMarquette County: 3,753 jobsMenominee County: 2,082 jobsMilwaukee County: 484,344 jobsMonroe County: 20,203 jobsOconto County: 8,975 jobsOneida County: 16,592 jobsOutagamie County: 106,965 jobsOzaukee County: 43,107 jobsPepin County: 2,277 jobsPierce County: 9,990 jobsPolk County: 16,068 jobsPortage County: 33,883 jobsPrice County: 5,700 jobsRacine County: 74,164 jobsRichland County: 5,839 jobsRock County: 65,042 jobsRusk County: 5,177 jobsSt. Croix County: 33,075 jobsSauk County: 36,158 jobsSawyer County: 6,754 jobsShawano County: 12,583 jobsSheboygan County: 59,750 jobsTaylor County: 8,089 jobsTrempealeau County: 14,415 jobsVernon County: 8,925 jobsVilas County: 7,609 jobsWalworth County: 40,903 jobsWashburn County: 5,855 jobsWashington County: 54,355 jobsWaukesha County: 238,806 jobsWaupaca County: 20,135 jobsWaushara County: 6,049 jobsWinnebago County: 92,843 jobsWood County: 38,090 jobs
  • Under 6,000
  • 6,000 to 8,000
  • 8,000 to 15K
  • 15K to 27K
  • 27K to 58K
  • 58K and over
jobs, 2016. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2016

Milwaukee County: 484,344 jobsMilwaukee County484,344Dane County: 329,751 jobsDane County329,751Waukesha County: 238,806 jobsWaukesha County238,806Brown County: 153,891 jobsBrown County153,891Outagamie County: 106,965 jobsOutagamie County106,965Winnebago County: 92,843 jobsWinnebago County92,843Racine County: 74,164 jobsRacine County74,164Marathon County: 70,342 jobsMarathon County70,342La Crosse County: 69,030 jobsLa Crosse County69,030Rock County: 65,042 jobsRock County65,042Kenosha County: 63,724 jobsKenosha County63,724Sheboygan County: 59,750 jobsSheboygan County59,750Eau Claire County: 57,198 jobsEau Claire County57,198Washington County: 54,355 jobsWashington County54,355Fond du Lac County: 46,147 jobsFond du Lac County46,147Ozaukee County: 43,107 jobsOzaukee County43,107Walworth County: 40,903 jobsWalworth County40,903Wood County: 38,090 jobsWood County38,090Sauk County: 36,158 jobsSauk County36,158Dodge County: 35,002 jobsDodge County35,002Portage County: 33,883 jobsPortage County33,883Manitowoc County: 33,439 jobsManitowoc County33,439St. Croix County: 33,075 jobsSt. Croix County33,075Jefferson County: 32,402 jobsJefferson County32,402Chippewa County: 24,321 jobsChippewa County24,321Columbia County: 21,914 jobsColumbia County21,914Barron County: 21,473 jobsBarron County21,473Monroe County: 20,203 jobsMonroe County20,203Waupaca County: 20,135 jobsWaupaca County20,135Marinette County: 18,468 jobsMarinette County18,468Grant County: 17,715 jobsGrant County17,715Dunn County: 17,281 jobsDunn County17,281Oneida County: 16,592 jobsOneida County16,592Polk County: 16,068 jobsPolk County16,068Green County: 15,901 jobsGreen County15,901Douglas County: 15,414 jobsDouglas County15,414Trempealeau County: 14,415 jobsTrempealeau County14,415Calumet County: 13,933 jobsCalumet County13,933Door County: 13,611 jobsDoor County13,611Shawano County: 12,583 jobsShawano County12,583Milwaukee County: 484,344 jobsMilwaukee County484,344Dane County: 329,751 jobsDane County329,751Waukesha County: 238,806 jobsWaukesha County238,806Brown County: 153,891 jobsBrown County153,891Outagamie County: 106,965 jobsOutagamie County106,965Winnebago County: 92,843 jobsWinnebago County92,843Racine County: 74,164 jobsRacine County74,164Marathon County: 70,342 jobsMarathon County70,342La Crosse County: 69,030 jobsLa Crosse County69,030Rock County: 65,042 jobsRock County65,042Kenosha County: 63,724 jobsKenosha County63,724Sheboygan County: 59,750 jobsSheboygan County59,750Eau Claire County: 57,198 jobsEau Claire County57,198Washington County: 54,355 jobsWashington County54,355Fond du Lac County: 46,147 jobsFond du Lac County46,147Ozaukee County: 43,107 jobsOzaukee County43,107Walworth County: 40,903 jobsWalworth County40,903Wood County: 38,090 jobsWood County38,090Sauk County: 36,158 jobsSauk County36,158Dodge County: 35,002 jobsDodge County35,002Portage County: 33,883 jobsPortage County33,883Manitowoc County: 33,439 jobsManitowoc County33,439St. Croix County: 33,075 jobsSt. Croix County33,075Jefferson County: 32,402 jobsJefferson County32,402Chippewa County: 24,321 jobsChippewa County24,321Columbia County: 21,914 jobsColumbia County21,914Barron County: 21,473 jobsBarron County21,473Monroe County: 20,203 jobsMonroe County20,203Waupaca County: 20,135 jobsWaupaca County20,135Marinette County: 18,468 jobsMarinette County18,468Grant County: 17,715 jobsGrant County17,715Dunn County: 17,281 jobsDunn County17,281Oneida County: 16,592 jobsOneida County16,592Polk County: 16,068 jobsPolk County16,068Green County: 15,901 jobsGreen County15,901Douglas County: 15,414 jobsDouglas County15,414Trempealeau County: 14,415 jobsTrempealeau County14,415Calumet County: 13,933 jobsCalumet County13,933Door County: 13,611 jobsDoor County13,611Shawano County: 12,583 jobsShawano County12,583
jobs. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2016
jobs
Change on 2015
1Milwaukee County484,344+0.5%
2Dane County329,751+2.3%
3Waukesha County238,806+1.3%
4Brown County153,891+1.4%
5Outagamie County106,965+1.8%
6Winnebago County92,843+2.7%
7Racine County74,164+0.6%
8Marathon County70,342+0.3%
9La Crosse County69,030+1.3%
10Rock County65,042+1.5%
11Kenosha County63,724+7.6%
12Sheboygan County59,750+1.3%
13Eau Claire County57,198+1.3%
14Washington County54,355+1.4%
15Fond du Lac County46,147+0.2%
16Ozaukee County43,107+3.6%
17Walworth County40,903+2.1%
18Wood County38,090+3.1%
19Sauk County36,158-1.1%
20Dodge County35,002+1.3%
21Portage County33,883+0.8%
22Manitowoc County33,439+0.3%
23St. Croix County33,075+1.1%
24Jefferson County32,402-0.9%
25Chippewa County24,321+1%
26Columbia County21,914+2.5%
27Barron County21,473-0.7%
28Monroe County20,203+1.1%
29Waupaca County20,135-0.1%
30Marinette County18,468-2.4%
31Grant County17,715-0%
32Dunn County17,281+3.5%
33Oneida County16,592-0.1%
34Polk County16,068+0.6%
35Green County15,901+0.6%
36Douglas County15,414-0.4%
37Trempealeau County14,415-0.3%
38Calumet County13,933+3.4%
39Door County13,611+1.3%
40Shawano County12,583+0.1%
41Clark County10,894+0.2%
42Lincoln County10,8200%
43Iowa County10,084-2.6%
44Pierce County9,990+1.3%
45Juneau County9,271+0.6%
46Oconto County8,975+1.4%
47Vernon County8,925+1.7%
48Jackson County8,625-0.6%
49Taylor County8,089+2.1%
50Ashland County8,055+0.6%
51Vilas County7,609+0.4%
52Crawford County7,456+0.7%
53Langlade County7,418+0.8%
54Kewaunee County7,079+2.5%
55Sawyer County6,754+2.5%
56Green Lake County6,120-3.2%
57Waushara County6,049-0.2%
58Washburn County5,855-0.7%
59Richland County5,839-0.4%
60Price County5,700+0.1%
61Rusk County5,177-1%
62Burnett County4,614-1.7%
63Adams County4,531+1.6%
64Lafayette County4,073+2%
65Bayfield County4,039+1%
66Buffalo County3,783+1.1%
67Marquette County3,753+1.8%
68Forest County3,1270%
69Pepin County2,277+1.4%
70Menominee County2,082-2.3%
71Iron County1,672+2.1%
72Florence County998+2.1%

Other periods

About this ranking

Average number of jobs covered by unemployment insurance during the year, all industries, private and government, from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Counted where the job is located, from the reports employers file each quarter; monthly employment counts the jobs in the pay period that includes the 12th.

Counts jobs, not people: someone with two jobs counts twice. Covers about 95 percent of US wage and salary jobs. Excludes the self-employed, most agricultural workers on small farms, the armed forces, elected officials in most states, most railroad employees, some domestic workers and most student workers at schools. A count of employer reports, not a survey estimate like oews_employment.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2026). Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties (Counties in Wisconsin by covered employment (QCEW), 2016) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv

MLA 9

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Counties in Wisconsin by covered employment (QCEW), 2016. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/wisconsin-counties?period=2016. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2026. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Counties in Wisconsin by covered employment (QCEW), 2016. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/wisconsin-counties?period=2016.

Harvard

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2026) Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Counties in Wisconsin by covered employment (QCEW), 2016 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/wisconsin-counties?period=2016 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_wisconsin_by_2016,
  author = {{U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics}},
  title = {{Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Counties in Wisconsin by covered employment (QCEW), 2016}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/wisconsin-counties?period=2016. Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
TI  - Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Counties in Wisconsin by covered employment (QCEW), 2016
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/wisconsin-counties?period=2016
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/wisconsin-counties?period=2016.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
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Questions

Which county has the highest covered employment (QCEW)?

Milwaukee County, with 484,344 jobs in 2016, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest covered employment (QCEW)?

Florence County, with 998 jobs in 2016.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Covered employment (QCEW): other rankings

Counties in Wisconsin: more rankings